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“Yuyu.”
Springtime has come again, the warm sunlight peeking through the gaps of the curtains as soft sounding music filled the air, which was a rare occurrence as neither of the two girls just lounging around with barely anything to do listens to that genre of music often.
“Yuu-chan.”
They're in Lisa's house, with the brunette's parents having gone away for a trip and thus, leaving their daughter alone. It's not a problem though when Lisa proved to be more than capable of taking care of herself and yet Yukina is here too because the silence is unbearable and the silver haired vocalist was all willing to hear her out. Like they've always done.
“Yuki.”
So here they are, Yukina sitting on the bed, her back against the wall that the bed was placed against while Lisa lays lower than her, a finger poking Yukina's arm as the other girl taps a pencil against the notebook she has been busy with since she came over.
Lisa lets out another hum, lifting her finger again to poke at her best friend once more. “Yukin—”
A hand catches her own.
Molten gold peers at her curiously, a brow raised.
“Lisa.”
And Lisa snaps out of her own thoughts that plagued her, the dazed look in her emerald eyes clearing up at the sight of her best friend now looking at her with a question on the tip of her tongue, but she sees how she holds herself back. That instead of pressing her, she's letting Lisa have her thoughts to herself first. Letting her make the decision of opening up first. Giving her time to collect herself and her thoughts before she makes the choice of talking to Yukina.
Lisa averts her gaze, lowers her hand after gently removing it from Yukina's grasps.
Yukina takes it as permission to begin with the question she was holding back.
“Is something the matter?” the vocalist voices out, closing her notebook and placing it and her pencil on the other side of the bed.
Lisa feels guilty because she knows she's distracted Yukina and the lyrics the girl was pondering about is probably left forgotten, hiding away in the deep recesses of the girl's mind where she won't be able to retrieve it when she really needs it.
But at the same time, Lisa feels relief. Because it meant she's important enough for Yukina to put her first before music.
Lisa silently crawls up to Yukina's lap, placing her head on her legs and looking up at the silver-haired songstress.
“Er… it's nothing, really.” She mumbles at first, a smile on her face. But she should have known that her "nothing" is everything to Yukina, that the smile on her face bears with it a shadow that the girl she has known for nearly all her life would easily see through.
And so, Yukina frowns, “Did we not promise not to keep secrets between us anymore?” She says, her voice small as she runs a hand through Lisa's hair, fluffy and comforting in her fingers. “Let me in, Lisa.”
Lisa lets her in, because if not her, then who would?
Who would listen to her, would know when not to speak words of comfort but simply words of understanding?
Yukina has, and Yukina will always do it for her.
“The other day, I saw Layer look at Tae with so much fondness in her eyes.”
Yukina looks at her, molten gold eyes neither pressuring nor disinterested. Instead, they let her take a pause, a breath in between, and then continue once more.
“Hana-chan.” Lisa says, her voice no more than a whisper. “She calls her that, I've noticed.”
It was another one of their sessions together, as Lisa found out that doing those allows her to refine her own sound too, the same reason why Yukina still continues to do jamming sessions with Kasumi, Rimi, Tsugumi and Maya. But with how they are, their moments together always turn to conversations about their childhood friends.
“Hana-chan.” Lisa smiles, “A nickname for her childhood friend.”
It's pretty. It sounds nice. The nickname brings with it a sense of closeness amplified with the way Layer looked at Tae. With so much love and affection. As if… As if in every life, Layer would always look for Tae. And in every life, she'd find her and then they'd be together again.
She doesn't shy away from Yukina's touch, instead feeling herself indulging in it. The fingers that gently comb her hair are comforting enough that it would probably lull her to sleep sooner or later.
“Did you know that Chisato and Kaoru also have nicknames for each other?” It wasn't a question she was looking to be answered by Yukina.
“Chii-chan and Kao-chan.” Lisa says.
It's silence that comes afterwards, nothing to hear but the whistling sound of the wind outside the open windows. Nothing but the ticking of the analogue clock on the wall opposite them, the hands telling the time to be "10:45" in the morning. The music that was playing had long gone quiet, perhaps the playlist had reached its end.
Yukina's hand stops.
“So I was just wondering what nickname would sound the best for you.” Lisa admits and there's something heavy on her chest. she doesn't know what it is but it chokes. It strangles. It's hard to breathe as she waits for Yukina's response.
“... There's no need for that.”
Disappointment washes over her, dulls the pain in her chest as she tries to force a carefree smile on her face, yanking herself off Yukina's lap and turning to her after schooling her expression to hide the hurt.
She should have known—
She shouldn't have been greedy. Should have been satisfied but it still hurts.
“A-Ahaha~” She laughs, hides her wince when she notices the way her voice cracks. Good going, Imai Lisa. You're embarrassing yourself. She scratches her cheek sheepishly, “You're right. Sorry, Yukina. Anyways, do you—”
But before she can continue, she feels a hand wrap around her own, her eyes snapping wide at the sight of a Yukina whose gaze feels so full of determination and an emotion she can't quite place.
(She knows she can, but doesn't quite want to acknowledge it because surely it's nothing like that, right?)
“You seem to have misunderstood me.” Yukina starts.
A few beats pass.
“I apologize. I should have been clearer with what I said.”
And she can see that she's sincere with her apology, which was to be expected as there was a time when all of Roselia tried their best to make it so that she doesn't say anything that can easily be twisted unless they want another incident like their first live with Afterglow to happen again.
Yukina brings Lisa's hand to her face, guides it to rest on her cheek and she leans into it. Her eyes are closed and Lisa's breath hitches in her throat at the sight of her.
“I said it's not needed, not because I think it doesn't mean anything to us.” She mutters, turning so her lips ghosts on the palm of Lisa's hand.
“I said it, because I already love hearing the way you say my name, Lisa.”
And the pain in her chest, the weight that's suffocated her, disappears like petals blown away by the spring wind.
Lisa lets out a stuttered breath, her gaze shaking at the words that left Yukina's mouth.
“Call me as you wish. But please know that the sound of my name on your tongue brings with it a joy I can't quite describe.”
There's a soft smile on Yukina's face, her eyes filled with so much affection that it reminds Lisa of the Layer she saw that day.
Like Yukina would always find her in any reality they end up in without fail.
She's said that too, already, hasn't she? That even if she didn't play that day, she would have still become a part of Roselia somehow.
“Y… Yukina…” There is so much relief that accompanied the utterance of Yukina's name from Lisa.
And Yukina tugs her closer to her, until their bodies are slotted against each other with Lisa's face on the crook of her neck, their legs entangled and arms wrapped around one another.
Yukina lets out a small chuckle once she feels the tears that's now running down Lisa's cheeks, feels the way the sobs shakes Lisa's body and feels the way Lisa's grip on her tightens.
She has always been so easy to cry.
“Yukina.”
“Yukina.”
“Yukina.Yukina. Yukinaaaa.”
In between sobs, it's her name that Lisa says. Again and again and Yukina relishes in it.
“Lisa.” She says back, soft like a whisper, running her hand on her bassist's back, rubbing it comfortingly. “Lisa.” She says again.
More than that, she loves the way Lisa's name rolls off her tongue too. So natural as if it's always belonged there.
“Yukina…” She mumbles, her tears slowly trickling to a stop.
“Yes, Lisa?”
“I really… really love hearing the way you say my name too.”
It brings a flutter to her chest.
Lisa raises her head, tearstained face in full view yet it did nothing to dampen just how bright the smile she gave to Yukina was, how so relieved she felt. As if the weight of the world was finally taken off her shoulders and more.
Yukina brushes a thumb against Lisa's cheek, the two leaning towards each other until their foreheads touch.
“Good.” She says. She ghosts a kiss on the brunette's cheek. “I'm glad to hear that.”
It's the sound of their heartbeats that fills their ears.
It brings comfort. It brings happiness. It feels like home.
It's just the two of them, during one spring day morning. Together, by each other's side.
“Yukina?”
“Mmhm?”
“Can I keep saying your name?”
A laugh breaks past her lips.
“Always.”
Emerald meets molten gold.
“I hope that you let me keep saying your name too.”
“Ahaha~.”
She grins.
“Always.”